Goal met: Homeless vets in Phoenix are under one roof

Chronically homeless veterans in Phoenix are now under one roof, cementing a joint goal of Sen. John McCain and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton.

On Veterans Day, Stanton pledged the City would make sure each of the veterans was off the streets by Christmas.

The next day, the City Council unanimously allocated $100,000 to speed up efforts to place the city's remaining 56 veterans in permanent housing.

Two years ago, Project H3 Vets identified 222 chronically homeless veterans in Phoenix. The average time each of these veterans has been homeless is eight years, and more than half are veterans of the Vietnam War.

Each will be transitioned into permanent housing by Arizona's Statehood Day - Feb. 14, 2014.

The mayor and Project H3 VETS have cut chronic homelessness among veterans by 62 percent since the project launched two years ago.

Project H3 VETS is a partnership of the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness, Phoenix VA Health Care System, Arizona Department of Veteran Services, Arizona Department of Housing, Valley of the Sun United Way, Community Bridges, City of Phoenix and others.